/EW4_wk1_AbuAta

Barriers to water innovations in the Mediterranean March 16, 2012 Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI)

Nathalie Abu Ata, Operations Officer

Outline

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Snapshot of water challenges in the Mediterranean

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Why innovations matter?

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Why this consultation?

Water demand in the Mediterranean

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For Mediterranean region, current demands on water are close to 300km3/year (with 17km3 in the south and 126km3/year in the north)

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Dominant use is irrigation (60%), especially in the South

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Drinking water supply is 18% in the north and 9% in the south – per capita extractions for drinking water supply is double in the north (114m3/year) compared to 57m3/year in the south

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Growth for water is increasing in the South and pressures on conventional renewable and exploitable water resources are also growing

How are demands being covered? ď ­

Globally, the large majority (93%) of the present demands are covered by using conventional water resources but also partly through overexploitation

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A significant part of those resources extracted in the south is external

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The useful capacity of the water stored is impacted by dam silting

Facing extreme scarcity…

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Water scarcity is of grave concern with immediate consequences on agriculture, the major user of the resource in the region.

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Water consumption per capita is the lowest among regions in the world

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It is set to halve to levels close to “absolute scarcity” (< 500m3/per capita/year) by 2050.

…and mounting pressures

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Urban growth Urban share of total population in MENA will grow from 56% in 2005 to 65% by 2030

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Shifting demographics 4 of 10 among the Arab Mediterranean Countries’ 180 million people are 1534 years old.

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Climate change Declining rainfall and greater volatility in weather patterns.

Solutions?

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Better management of available water (as a priority first line of action) For example, irrigation efficiency

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Finding new sources of supply (rainwater harvesting, recycled wastewater, brackish groundwater and seawater desalination, etc…)

Why focus on innovations?

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Environmental challenges such as declining water quality are forcing us to change the way we think about what and how we produce and consume

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Innovations, both technological and non-technological (organizational and institutional), can become an important element of improved water management strategies in the region and lead to greater efficiencies.

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Innovations can also lead to greater accountability of service utilities vis-a-vis consumers (for ex. Mobile-to-web user complaint service)

Innovation: A definition

The World Bank Report “Innovation Policy: A guide for developing countries” (2010) defines innovation as follows: “Innovation can be a new and better product or service or a new and more efficient, or less costly, way of producing, delivering or using that product or service; thus it provides a means for getting more output or welfare from limited resources”.

Recent innovations: a sampling

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Satellites: Use of Remote Sensing to measure ET, enabling better water resources planning

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Cutting edge technology in wastewater treatment (all water reused and new water is added to the water mix)

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Water/energy nexus: Desalination with renewable energy (solar)

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ICT: Water Hackathon (Egypt) – bringing different communities together (software specialists and water communities)

Innovation ecosystem

Innovation ecosystem

Innovation ecosystem: key actors

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Government/Ministries

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Utilities

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Researchers

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Academics

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Incubators

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Developers

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Firms/Manufacturers

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Investors

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Financial Institutions

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International Organizations

Today’s consultation

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Mix of cases from North and South on various types of innovations (technologies, process, concepts)

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Innovations that are promising and at different stages of the innovation chain

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Covering sub-sectors (reuse, drought-resistant crops, dry-land rehabilitation, etc…)

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What do we mean by investments in the regional Mediterranean water context?

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How to link different actors within the chain & how to align incentives among each stage of the innovation ecosystem chain?

EW 4.4 program

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March 16 first multi-stakeholder consultation at the CMI to better define the key bottlenecks and removal of bottlenecks for innovation

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Interest in a regional network of water entrepreneurs (in particular young entrepreneurs)

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Regional workshop with ISESCO involving young entrepreneurs from the region

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E-water community group on innovations on CMI website

‫! شكرا‬ MERCI! THANK YOU